Licenses for
Every Purpose & Scale
Paid 6-month Trial Licenses & Free Auto Renewing Licenses
IMPORTANT
Read the license documents before registration.
Registration constitutes agreement.
Register for all that apply.
In-Person Educational Setting License
6-month Trial
Includes: institutional, governmental, commercial educators
300€
Product Integration Evaluation License
6-month Trial
Includes: software, digital media, and physical product manufacturers
200€
Streaming Content Creator License
Auto Renewal
Includes: recorded, streaming content on YouTube, and similar
Free
Live Online Educator License
Auto Renewal
Includes: paid, live tutoring on Tutor.com, and similar
Free
In-Person Small Class Education License
Auto Renewal
Includes: small, independent language educators
Free
In-Person Community Charity License
Auto Renewal
Non-professional, volunteer teaching at local chapters of general charities
Free
For complete eligibility rules, read the license documents.
FAQ - VisiGrammar Intellectual Property
General
Key differences: copyright vs database rights:
Key Differences
Nature of the Protected Subject Matter:
- Database Rights: Protect the investment in the database, not the content itself. The database need not contain original work as long as significant investment is demonstrated.
- Copyright: Protects the originality and creativity of the content itself, not the effort or investment in creating the work.
Requirement for Originality:
- Database Rights: No requirement for originality in the data itself; the focus is on the effort and resources used to compile the database.
- Copyright: Requires originality and a minimal degree of creativity in the work itself.
Can you copyright grammar?
No, grammar itself cannot be owned or copyrighted. Similarly, a printed book can be copyrighted, but neither the alphabet it is written in nor the subject of the book can be.
The creative expression about grammar (or anything) is automatically copyrighted upon creation. Some copyrighted expressions have an additional layer of rights, loosely outlined above under database rights, which explains why a book about factual world records have rights against copying, extraction, and repurposing.
Determining factors in Intellectual property protection include: originality, distinctiveness, effort, and creativity. The format – book, app, song – is not relevant. The underlying subject or material – paint, grammar, hotel listings, a subway network, German grammar – is also not the determining factor.
Can I copy your format? Can I amend it?
No, neither. You need permission. See copyrights and database above.
Not allowed except with permission… A work that follows the tenets of VisiGrammar in the composition, organization, or styling; or could in any way cause confusion with VisiGrammar; or re-purposes the original and specialist effort of VisiGrammar; or is derivative of VisiGrammar; or signals into the marketplace via coloration or other indicators as VisiGrammar.
I want to game-ify VisiGrammar in my app, include it in my curriculum, etc.
One of the 6-month paid trials will likely to serve your needs.
VisiGrammar Specifically
Trademarks
Registrations
“The Speaking Eye” logo and the word VisiGrammar are EU Registered trademarks 018916336 & 018916337.
For non-EU national policies regarding the establishment and use of trademarks, please consult a local attorney.
Copyright
The VisiGrammar Series, German
April 2024
- VisiGrammar Point & Speak German Grammar Maps
- VisiGrammar Slice & Dice Alternate Dimensions of VisiGrammar Maps
- VisiGrammar Write & Recall Noun Grammar Workbook
- VisiGrammar Write & Recall Vital Verbs Workbook
- VisiGrammar Write & Recall Clause Element Workbook
- Noun & Adjective Logbook
- Verb Logbook
Notice: No display without permission. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved.
Copyrights apply upon creation and protect against both reproduction and derivative works.
Copyright laws say you can’t use, change, or make new versions of someone else’s creative work without permission.
VisiGrammar is distinct in design, layout, and artistic choices, and is protected by copyright. The unique look of the compoonents and composition as a whole must not be copied.
Copyright protects against creations that closely resemble a VisiGrammar map. It also protects agains use of colorations and other indicators that could generate confusion in the marketplace.
Not Just About Copying
Non-infringing works must be significantly different from the original. They must not be tweaks or re-styling.
Fair Use – Not Always What It Seems
Fair use might let you quote a book for a review, but it doesn’t let you rewrite chapters or change the cover. Also not covered: use, change, or build upon VisiGrammar without permission.
Database Rights
A data set is a “database”.
The set of German grammar, itself unprotectable, is nonetheless protected in the VisiGrammar format alone… unrelated to styling.
Definition: In database rights, the data need not be original, but rather the organization must be. Database rights provide protection against the copying or extraction of substantial parts of content, assuming significant investment (either qualitative or quantitative) has been made in obtaining, verifying, or presenting the content. Effortful, sophisticated organization is a requirement. Digital presentation is not a requirement.
Database rights are prominent within the European Union, as established by the EU Database Directive (96/9/EC), to acknowledge the data-driven creativity of the modern economy. The protection promotes the investment of time and money in the creation of diverse types of data-driven works.
Specific to VisiGrammar, the factor of presentation is relevant: the format and organization of the data set to make it user-friendly and accessible.
Database rights recognize specialized maps, which contain a specialized data component and serve a specific purpose. Specialized maps retrieve a specific set of data for a defined use. In other words, a specialized map has both design and functionality.
By analogy, the London Tube map, a schematic diagram showing the routes and relative positions has a primary function to assist in navigating a complex system rather than to provide geographically accurate depictions (the traditional understanding of a map). It embodies a complex intersection of geographic data and design considerations. Its protection ensures continued investment in high-quality, up-to-date mapping that serve the public effectively.
In US law, with regards to database rights, the US Supreme Court has judged that a compilation must be “selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship”. (See 17 U.S.C. §101)
Non-Infringement, In Short
With regards to a unique presentation, another entity cannot legally take the same set of facts (data) to provide a same/similar product or service. However, anyone can take the same data set and re-imagine it in an original and distinctive way. The more distinctive the new work is, in both appearance and concept, the less likely it is to infringe. As always in intellectual property, originality and distinctiveness are prerequisites for non-infringement.
Claim Date
VisiGrammar claims the protection of database rights. VisiGrammar has stood near to its current form since 2017, with updates in 2023.
